Comminuting attachment for feed-cutters.



0. C. FRICK.

COMMINUTING ATTACHMENT FOR FEED CUTTERS. APPLICATION FILED Aua.22. |913.

Patent-ed Oct. 19, 1915.

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To all whom t may concertar Be it known that I, ORDANDO'C. F'RI'CK, acitizen of the United States, residing at Manitowoc, countyof Manitowoc,and State ments for Feed-Cutters, of which the following is aspecification. Y My invention relates to improvements 1n comminutingattachments for feed cutters.

The object of my invention is toY provide improved means forcomminuting. the material delivered from, la feed cutter, with especialreference to the preparation of clover and alfalfa for stock and poultryfeeding purposes. In the drawingsfFigure lis a sectional View of therear portion of` a feed cutter equipped with my improved attachment.

Fig. 2 isa plan view of the same with thel comminu'ting screen partiallybroken away to show its relation tov the 'cutter' blades and feedrollers. I Likexparts are indentili'ed bythe same reference charactersin both views-` z Attempts have heretofore been '.made to providel meansfor comminuting clover and alfalfa by partially surroundingV the feedcuttingbladeswith a screen arranged con'- centrically to the axis abovewhich the-blades revolve, with view of having the blades force theymaterial through the openings in the screen as fast as such material isworked up'by the blades and c'utforpulv'eriz'ed sufi ficiently to passthrough the screen open'- ings. AExperiments which Iv have conducted,however, show that with the screen thus concentrically arranged, thereis a strong tendency to clog the feed cutter, and in any case, a largeportion of the material is carried around uselessly without being eitherbroken or 'cut by the blades and that considerable time is thereforerequired to properly pul-L This verize orv comminute the material.

necessitates a very slow operation of the machine to prevent cloggingand entails considerable expense in operation. I have ldiscovrefvarzhyver the .blades fwah progressive. 'deflection from, a'cifrcle, the`material be rapidly commmut'edfand delivered v 'through'thesc're'eii.'V of Wisconsin, vhave invented newand useful ijnCommnuting Attach:

I; preferably 'employ a sheet'inetal screen Athrough which holes B arepunched, the wallsV 'of Vthe holesor 4openings B being straight sidedand 'alfording comparatively sharp edges, ,whereby any straws whichpartially pass throughsaidholes will be broken 4Specfication of LettersvPatenti Paintgdt, 195.11915;

ofl by the pressure of the material Vwhich is being carried laround bythe knives.. Owing A'to the spiral curve of thel screen,`the spacebetween the screen and they knives A'constantly .increases in area vinthe-direction of knife travel, thus allowing the material to loosen upandpermitting the individualfpiecesto turn end.v over end an'dmiX. Thisyfacilitates the discharge of suchhportions of the' mate- 'rial as vhavebeen sufficiently com'minut'ed, and also increases thet'en'dencyof thelonger pieces to catch in the llolesB and be broken, Y

as above explained.

' In the drawn'g'sa portion; feed cutter is illustratedfi-n which,lnives `'C are em; ployed which are supported Afrom a driving shaft Dby arms E in ani' jordinuy v` manner. F and are' feed rollers,lH is 'afeeding con-l veyer, and I is 'a Shearbar. A11 ofthe-.se parts' lmay Abeof ordinary construction, but 1 preferably providethe lower1 portion 'oftheshear bar or itsisupporting block I" with 'a recessJ, towhich onemargin of the screen A may te gonne@ted. `The screen extends from thisline of connection Ain a spiral curve, as aboveV stated, aroundthecircle described by theknives to a point above the feed roller G,whereby'it is securedrat K to the frame or housing wall L. The screen Ais., preferably' formed in section with outturned flanges M, whichV aresecured together andattached to a supporting cross bar .N by bolts orrivets O. This is done in order to provide the screen withastrengthening rib, l

whereby the lower portion-of the screenmayiv be adequately supportedunder the heavy pressure to which it is subjected.

The increased space in the upper portion of the screen is of littlevalue in itself for the purpose of facilitating the rapid comminution ofthemateriaL-for the reason that if the material is held in a compactmass for any considerable distance after passingthe shear bar, it willnot loosenup above the knives in a manner to pass upwardly 'lll throughthe screen, but will tend to form a cake or comparatively solid mass ofsemipulverized material which loosens up only partially and tends tofill and clog the space above the knives. 'In my improved attachment,however, it is not possible for the material to become Vmassed orcaked,`

sincethe gap between the screen and the knives is constantly increasingin dimentunity is afforded for the ends to get caught inthe holes B andbroken.

The principal object of that portion of the screen above the cross barN, therefore,

isto prevent delivery of the coarse. material and allow it to be carriedaround over the knives and downwardly between the knives and the feedroller G or to the shear bari. A portion of it may also be thrownforwardly over the feed roller G to the conveyer H, which again deliversit between the feed rollers to the knives.

l. The combination with a feed cutter provided withV shear bar4 androtary cut ting knives, of a screen having one margin supported in closeproximity to the knives underneath vthe shear bar, said screen extendingfrom such supporting` margin downwardly and rearwardly, and thenupwardly in a spiral curve, following, but continuously dii/'erging fromthe circle described by the knives, said screen being provided withapertures through which comminuted material may pass.

v(iopiesi of this patent may be obtained for 2. The combination with afeed cutter 'provided with a shear bar and rotary cutting knives, of ascreen having one margin supported in Vclose proximity to the knivesunderneath the shear bar, said screen extending from such supportedmargin downwardly and rearwardly, and then upwardly and forwardly overthe knives in a spiral curve, following, but continuously diverging fromthe circle described by the knives, said screen being provided. withapertures through which comminuted material may pass, and the uppermargin of said screen being supported above and in front of the knives,the lower and rear portions of said screen being in suiiiciently closeproximity to the knives to permit the materialto be carried along itssurface by the knives into progressively widening space.

3. The combination with a feed cutter provided with a shear bar androtary cutting knives, of a-screen having one margin supported in closeproximity to the knives lunderneath the shear bar, said screen extendingfrom such supported margin downwardly and rearwardly and then upwardly'in a spiral curve, continuously diverging from the circle described bythe knives, said screen Yconiprising a piece of sheet metal havingperforations, the walls of which are straight and form sharp angles withthe interior surface of the screen to facilitate breaking andpulverizing such material as may catch in the perforations, the lowerand rear portions of said screen being in suiiiciently close proximityto the knives to permit the material to be carried along its surface bythe knives into progressively widening space.

In testimony whereof affix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

f ORLANDO C. FRCK. Witnesses:

A. L. HUGEN, C. E. BRADY.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of atents, Washington,11.6,

